The elev8.io Podcast

elev8.io

‘The elev8.io Podcast’ is a thought leadership platform dedicated to providing actionable insights, expert interviews, and growth strategies for Behavioral Health Centers. The podcast addresses the challenges and opportunities in the rapidly evolving behavioral health industry. Our Topics: ✔ Solutions to common industry growth challenges ✔ Strategies for marketing, BD and admissions ✔ Leadership playbooks that cultivate sustainable growth ✔ Innovations in technology, AI & strategic partnerships ✔ VC/PE Trends for Behavioral Health Mergers & Acquisitions ✉️ podcast@elev8.io

  1. 2d ago

    22 | The Agency Perspective: Real Solutions for Patient Acquisition | Recovery.com Marketing Summit 2026

    Behavioral health marketing is changing faster than ever. AI is reshaping how prospective patients search for care, digital trust has become a competitive advantage, and treatment providers are being challenged to do more with increasingly complex marketing and technology ecosystems. Recorded live at the Recovery.com Marketing Summit 2026, this special panel discussion on The elev8.io Podcast brings together three of the industry's leading behavioral health marketing experts to discuss what's actually driving sustainable patient acquisition today. Moderated by Signe Engelien, Director of Agency Partnerships at Recovery.com, the panel features Gary Garth, Founder & CEO of elev8.io, Derek Hyman, Founder & CEO of Scalable Growth, and Adrienne Wilkerson, CEO & Co-Founder of Beacon Media + Marketing. Together, they explore how treatment providers can build stronger marketing foundations, leverage AI responsibly, improve attribution, create more effective technology stacks, and position their organizations for long-term growth. Throughout the conversation, the panel shares practical insights on what agencies are seeing across hundreds of behavioral health organizations, why trust has become the foundation of patient acquisition, and how leaders can prepare for the next generation of digital marketing without losing sight of proven fundamentals. Whether you're a CEO, Executive Director, Marketing Leader, Admissions Professional, Business Development Executive, or agency partner, this discussion offers actionable strategies to help your organization strengthen both marketing performance and patient outcomes. 🚀 Key Topics / Timestamps 00:00 – Introduction and the biggest marketing mistakes agencies help clients avoid 08:22 – The patient acquisition strategies producing the strongest results today 13:34 – AI, search, and how patient behavior is changing 14:45 – Building trust through websites, reviews, and digital authority 17:22 – What keeps behavioral health executives up at night 26:17 – The technology stack every behavioral health organization should evaluate 31:12 – Marketing attribution, CRM integration, and measuring ROI 35:46 – Looking ahead: The future of AI, marketing, and patient acquisition 44:55 – Audience Q&A: Why partner with a specialized behavioral health agency? 👇 Follow elev8.io on Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elev8io/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elev8.io/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elev8_io 👇 Speaker Details Gary Garth — Founder & CEO, elev8.io LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garygarth/ Derek Hyman — Founder & CEO, Scalable Growth Adrienne Wilkerson — CEO & Co-Founder, Beacon Media + Marketing Signe Engelien — Director of Agency Partnerships, Recovery.com (Moderator) 📊 Resources & Links Learn more about Recovery.com: https://recovery.com ● Learn more about elev8.io https://elev8.io ● Behavioral Health ROI Calculator https://elev8.io/tools/roi-calculator ● Book a Behavioral Health Growth Strategy Session https://calendly.com/getpatients-elev8-io/strategy-session 💡 Have a topic in mind? Suggest it and explore more conversations with behavioral health leaders: 👉 https://elev8.io/knowledge/podcast

    22 | The Agency Perspective: Real Solutions for Patient Acquisition | Recovery.com Marketing Summit 2026

  2. Jul 29

    21 | Measuring the ROI of Alumni Engagement in Behavioral Health | TPAS Workshop with Gary Garth

    Behavioral health organizations spend millions of dollars each year on patient acquisition, marketing, admissions, and business development. Yet one of the highest-return opportunities for sustainable census growth is often overlooked. Alumni engagement. In this special TPAS Workshop episode of The elev8.io Podcast, Gary Garth shares an executive framework for positioning alumni as a measurable business asset rather than simply a post-treatment support service. Building on the financial models presented during the workshop, Gary explains how behavioral health leaders can communicate the value of alumni programs in a language executives understand: business outcomes, measurable ROI, and organizational growth. Throughout the session, Gary explores why alumni should become one of the primary drivers of referrals, readmissions, online reputation, community engagement, and long-term census stability. He also discusses how organizations can shift away from reporting activities such as events and calls toward dashboards that demonstrate measurable contributions to revenue, admissions, and marketing performance. As patient acquisition costs continue to rise and competition increases across behavioral health, organizations that invest in alumni engagement, data infrastructure, and executive reporting will be better positioned to build sustainable growth while improving long-term recovery outcomes. If you're a CEO, Executive Director, Alumni Leader, Marketing Executive, Admissions Professional, or Business Development Leader looking to strengthen both patient outcomes and organizational performance, this workshop provides practical strategies you can begin implementing immediately. 🚀 Key Topics / Timestamps 00:00 – Why alumni should become one of the strongest drivers of census growth 04:00 – The elev8.io Hierarchy of Patient Acquisition and why alumni delivers the highest ROI 07:00 – Understanding the Alumni ROI Chain and building the business case for investment 09:00 – Why marketing costs are rising and alumni has become more valuable than ever 11:00 – Speaking the executive language: shifting from activity metrics to business outcomes 14:00 – The KPIs every alumni leader should measure to demonstrate organizational impact 16:00 – Building executive dashboards that prove alumni ROI and support better decision-making 19:00 – Technology, CRM integration, and creating an alumni ecosystem that executives will invest in 20:30 – Using ROI calculators and benchmarking to justify additional alumni funding 23:00 – Audience Q&A: Why alumni teams deserve credit for readmissions and referrals. 👇 Follow elev8.io on Social Media LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elev8io/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elev8.io/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elev8_io 👇 Speaker Details Gary Garth, Founder & CEO elev8.ioLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garygarth/ Gina Thorne, Executive Director: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginathorneconsulting/⁠ Learn more about TPAS: ⁠https://www.tpas.org/⁠ 📊 Resources & Links ● Explore our Patient Acquisition ROI & Census Growth Calculator designed exclusively for Behavioral Health Organizations. https://growthcalculator.elev8.io ● Discover the elev8.io Alumni Planner — a customizable, white-labeled recovery planner that helps treatment providers strengthen alumni engagement, support patients beyond discharge, generate more reviews and referrals, and build lasting recovery communities. https://elev8.io/solutions/elev8sales/alumni-planner ● Learn more about elev8.io https://elev8.io 💡 Have a topic in mind? Suggest it and explore more episodes: 👉 https://elev8.io/podcast/

    21 | Measuring the ROI of Alumni Engagement in Behavioral Health | TPAS Workshop with Gary Garth

  3. Jul 22

    20 | Beyond Discharge: How Continuous Engagement Drives Outcomes with Ben Wilkins

    What happens after a patient leaves treatment may be one of the strongest predictors of long-term recovery. While many behavioral health organizations invest heavily in admissions, clinical care, and discharge planning, few have a structured strategy to keep patients engaged once they return to everyday life. According to Ben Wilkins, General Manager at CaredFor, that's where one of the industry's biggest opportunities exists. In this episode of The elev8.io Podcast, Gary Garth sits down with Ben to discuss why engagement shouldn't begin at discharge, it should start before admission and continue throughout the entire recovery journey. Together, they explore how technology can strengthen therapeutic alliances, support families, improve alumni engagement, measure outcomes after discharge, and help treatment providers build lasting recovery communities. They also discuss why alumni programs should be viewed as both a recovery strategy and a business strategy, creating measurable improvements in patient outcomes, referrals, and long-term organizational growth. If you're a CEO, Executive Director, Admissions Leader, Marketer, or Operations Executive looking to improve outcomes while strengthening your organization, this conversation is packed with practical insights. 🚀 Key Topics / Timestamps 00:00 – Why recovery outcomes depend on engagement beyond discharge 03:00 – Why patient engagement should begin before admission 06:00 – Rethinking alumni programs as a growth strategy 09:00 – Measuring outcomes after treatment ends 12:00 – How technology strengthens therapeutic alliances 15:00 – Wellness tracking, care journeys, and continuous engagement 19:00 – Alumni referrals as a measurable business outcome 23:00 – KPIs executives should monitor beyond admissions 28:00 – Why integrated technology creates better patient experiences 32:00 – Building successful alumni programs through process and accountability 36:00 – Measuring long-term recovery and standardizing outcomes 👇 Follow elev8.io on Social Media ● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elev8io/ ● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elev8.io/ ● YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elev8_io 👇 Guest Details ● Ben Wilkins General Manager CaredFor (Continuum Cloud) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bentwilkins/ Website: https://www.caredfor.com/ 👇 Resources & Links ● Explore our Patient Acquisition ROI & Census Growth Calculator designed exclusively for Behavioral Health Organizations https://growthcalculator.elev8.io 🚀 Have a topic in mind? Suggest it and explore our other podcast episodes → https://elev8.io/podcast/

    20 | Beyond Discharge: How Continuous Engagement Drives Outcomes with Ben Wilkins

  4. Jul 8

    19 | Mission-First Growth: Ben Camp on Scaling Recovery.com

    As patients increasingly rely on search engines, AI, and online resources to find treatment, the organizations that earn trust—not simply attention—will shape the future of patient acquisition. In this episode of The elev8.io Podcast, Gary Garth sits down with Ben Camp, CEO & Co-Founder of Recovery.com, to discuss how the company has grown from a startup with a mission to eliminate deceptive treatment marketing into one of the industry's most trusted behavioral health marketplaces. Ben shares the story behind Recovery.com's mission, the acquisition of industry-leading domains like Rehabs.com and Recovery.org, the company's commitment to ethical advertising, and why transparency is becoming the defining competitive advantage for treatment providers. The conversation also explores AI, outcomes-based marketing, LegitScript certification, private equity, investment strategy, patient trust, and where behavioral healthcare marketing is headed over the next five years. Whether you're a behavioral health CEO, marketer, admissions executive, investor, or treatment center owner, this episode provides an inside look at the future of ethical patient acquisition. 🚀 Key Topics / Timestamps 00:00 – The mission that inspired the creation of Recovery.com 03:00 – Building trust in an industry challenged by deceptive marketing 05:00 – Why Recovery.com acquired Rehabs.com and Recovery.org 08:00 – Exposing dark patterns in behavioral health directories 10:00 – LegitScript certification and raising the industry's ethical standards 12:00 – Why Recovery.com introduced its Cost-Per-Result model 16:00 – Balancing patient-first rankings with advertiser performance 20:00 – How outcomes, reviews, and quality scores will shape treatment discovery 22:00 – Protecting mission and culture while scaling with investors 26:00 – Advice for behavioral health leaders raising capital 29:00 – AI, trust, and the future of patient acquisition 35:00 – Why the Recovery.com Marketing Summit continues to grow 37:00 – Ben's vision for improving access to behavioral healthcare 👇 Follow elev8.io on Social Media ● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elev8io/ ● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elev8.io/ ● YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elev8_io 👇 Guest Details ● Ben Camp CEO & Co-Founder, Recovery.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bencamp/ Website: https://recovery.com 👇 Resources & Links ● Explore our Patient Acquisition ROI & Census Growth Calculator designed exclusively for Behavioral Health Organizations https://growthcalculator.elev8.io 🚀 Have a topic in mind? Suggest it and explore our other podcast episodes  https://elev8.io/podcast/

    19 | Mission-First Growth: Ben Camp on Scaling Recovery.com

  5. Jun 24

    18 | AI vs Human: What Actually Converts Admissions in Behavioral Health?

    In today's behavioral health landscape, treatment centers invest heavily in marketing, lead generation, and patient acquisition—but many organizations still struggle with one of the most important drivers of admissions growth: answering the phone. Missed calls, delayed follow-up, and inefficient admissions workflows quietly cost facilities revenue, census growth, and opportunities to connect people with care. At the same time, AI-powered voice technology is rapidly entering the admissions process, creating both excitement and uncertainty across the industry. In this episode of The elev8.io Podcast, Gary Garth sits down with Drew Powers, Chief Growth Officer at Rollover Rep, to explore the operational realities behind behavioral health admissions and what happens after the phone rings. Drawing from experience supporting more than 400,000 behavioral health calls annually, Drew shares insights into the hidden cost of missed calls, why many treatment centers miss more opportunities during business hours than overnight, and how organizations can improve admissions performance without dramatically increasing staffing costs. The conversation also tackles one of the industry's most discussed topics: artificial intelligence. Drew explains where AI can provide value within admissions operations, where human interaction remains irreplaceable, and how providers should think about balancing technology with compassion-driven care. This conversation is designed for behavioral health executives, admissions leaders, operators, and marketers looking to improve patient access, optimize admissions performance, and drive sustainable census growth. ⏱️  Key Topics / Timestamps 00:00 – Why missed calls remain one of behavioral health's biggest blind spots 03:00 – Drew's journey from recovery to leading growth at Rollover Rep 07:00 – Why achieving a 100% answer rate is difficult for most facilities 11:00 – What the data reveals about missed calls during staffed business hours 17:00 – The financial impact of missed admissions opportunities 21:00 – Why answering missed calls should be treated as a revenue-generating activity 28:00 – Admissions optimization and the role of outbound follow-up 32:00 – AI vs human interaction in behavioral health admissions 38:00 – Why AI cannot replace trust, empathy, and human connection 43:00 – Hybrid AI + human admissions strategies 47:00 – Re-engaging past inquiries and improving conversion rates 53:00 – Drew's advice for behavioral health leaders navigating market challenges 🔗  Follow elev8.io on Social Media ● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elev8.io/ ● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elev8.io/ ● YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elev8.io_io 👤  Guest Details ● Drew Powers: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-powers-74336abb/ ● Company: Rollover Rep ● Website: https://rolloverrep.com ● Email: drew@rolloverrep.com 📊 Resources & Links Learn more about elev8.io: https://elev8.io Patient Acquisition ROI & Census Growth Calculator: 👉 https://growthcalculator.elev8.io Suggest it and explore more episodes: 👉 https://elev8.io/podcast/ 📊 Resources & Links💡 Have a topic in mind?

    18 | AI vs Human: What Actually Converts Admissions in Behavioral Health?

  6. Jun 15

    17 | Trust Over Tactics: The Transparency Advantage in Adolescent Treatment

    When families are searching for treatment for a struggling teenager, they aren't making a typical consumer decision; they're making one of the most emotional and important decisions of their lives. In this episode of The elev8.io Podcast, Gary Garth sits down with Zack Schafer, Executive Director of Mountain Valley Treatment Center, to explore why trust, not marketing, is the real driver of growth in adolescent behavioral health. Zack shares his unconventional journey from occupational therapist to Executive Director at just 31 years old and explains how his clinical background shaped a radically different philosophy around admissions, leadership, and patient experience. Together, they discuss why transparency has become Mountain Valley's competitive advantage, how podcasting and alumni stories influence admissions decisions, the role of authenticity in building credibility with families, and why niche specialization in Anxiety and OCD treatment helps families make better decisions. If you're a behavioral health executive, admissions leader, marketer, or treatment center operator, this conversation offers a refreshing perspective on what sustainable growth actually looks like in today's market. Key Topics / Timestamps 00:00 Introduction & Why Trust Matters in Adolescent Treatment 05:00 Zack's Journey from Therapist to Executive Director 07:00 Why Relationships Outperform Traditional Marketing 09:00 Staying Personally Involved in Admissions Conversations 11:00 Launching a Podcast & Discovering the Power of Storytelling 13:00 How Alumni Stories Influence Family Decisions 16:00 Using Content as an Admissions Enablement Tool 18:00 Transparency as a Competitive Advantage 20:00 Why Mountain Valley Opens the Doors to Families 22:00 The Fear Behind Industry Secrecy 24:00 Authenticity, Outcomes, and Building Credibility 26:00 Lower AMA Rates Through Better Expectation Setting 27:00 Alumni as the Ultimate Trust Builders 31:00 The Power of Niche Positioning in Anxiety & OCD Treatment Follow elev8.io on Social Media LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/elev8io/⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/elev8.io/⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@elev8_io⁠ Guest Details Zack Schafer, Executive Director at Mountain Valley Treatment Center LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/zack-schafer-a6026b108 Website: https://mountainvalleytreatment.org Resources & Links Learn more about ⁠elev8.io⁠ Explore our Patient Acquisition ROI & Census Growth Calculator exclusively designed for Behavioral Health Organizations: ⁠https://growthcalculator.elev8.io⁠  Have a topic in mind?  Suggest it and check out our other podcast episodes: https://elev8.io/podcast/⁠

    17 | Trust Over Tactics: The Transparency Advantage in Adolescent Treatment

  7. May 27

    16 | From Containment to Community: Rethinking Addiction Treatment with Bob Ferguson (Jaywalker Lodge)

    Most addiction treatment programs are designed to stabilize patients. But what happens after they leave? In this episode of The elev8.io Podcast, Gary Garth sits down with Bob Ferguson, founder of Jaywalker Lodge, to unpack one of the biggest gaps in behavioral health today: 👉 The difference between getting sober and learning how to live in recovery. Drawing from more than 30 years in the industry, including building one of the most differentiated treatment models in behavioral health, Bob shares why treatment is “necessary but not sufficient,” and why long-term recovery requires something far bigger than a controlled environment. Together, Gary and Bob unpack: ● Why most treatment models prioritize containment over community ● How real-world integration improves long-term recovery outcomes ● The accidental discovery that shaped Jaywalker’s community-based model ● Why alumni became Jaywalker’s most important stakeholder ● The psychology behind sustainable sobriety and peer accountability ● How transparency and specificity create stronger behavioral health brands ● Why collaboration—not competition—is one of the industry’s greatest opportunities This is a masterclass on recovery, positioning, alumni engagement, culture, and building a behavioral health organization that creates both stronger outcomes and stronger long-term growth. If you’re a behavioral health executive, founder, operator, marketer, admissions leader, or clinician trying to rethink outcomes and differentiation in treatment — this episode is for you. ⏱️ Key Topics / Timestamps 00:00 – Why treatment alone is not enough 04:00 – Bob’s personal recovery journey and founding Jaywalker Lodge 08:15 – The accidental shift from containment to community 13:00 – Why community integration changed patient outcomes 15:30 – Early mistakes and lessons learned building the model 21:00 – Alumni as the primary stakeholder 27:00 – How alumni transformed the culture at Jaywalker 31:00 – The marketing challenge of a 120-day program 34:30 – Why specificity creates stronger behavioral health brands 38:00 – “Contrary attraction” and behavioral health admissions 41:30 – The psychology of trust, honesty, and recovery 45:00 – What the industry must change moving forward 47:00 – Collaboration vs competition in behavioral health 50:00 – Final reflections and closing thoughts 🔗 Follow elev8.io on Social Media ● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/elev8io/ ● Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elev8.io/ ● YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@elev8_io 👤  Guest Details ● Bob Ferguson, Former Founder, Jaywalker Lodge ● LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bfjaywalkerlodge/ ● Website: http://www.jaywalkerlodge.com 📊 Resources & Links ● Learn more about ⁠elev8.io⁠ ● Explore our Patient Acquisition ROI & Census Growth Calculator exclusively designed for Behavioral Health Organizations -> ⁠https://growthcalculator.elev8.io⁠  💡 Have a topic in mind?  Suggest it and check out our other podcast episodes -> https://elev8.io/podcast/⁠⁠

    16 | From Containment to Community: Rethinking Addiction Treatment with Bob Ferguson (Jaywalker Lodge)

  8. May 12

    15 | Pre, During, After: A Smarter Framework for Conference ROI in Behavioral Health

    Conferences can either become expensive calendar events… or one of the highest-leverage growth opportunities inside your organization. In this episode of The elev8.io Podcast, Gary Garth sits down with Doug Edwards, Senior Vice President at HMP Global, to break down what actually drives conference ROI. Drawing from nearly three decades of experience producing some of the industry’s largest events, Doug shares why conferences should be treated as strategic environments for relationship-building, market intelligence, hiring, partnerships, and long-term growth — not just networking opportunities. Together, Gary and Doug unpack: Why conference ROI rarely happens immediately The biggest mistakes teams make before arriving onsite How to decide who should attend conferences Why relationships outperform transactions over time How conferences help operators stay ahead of trends like AI  What strong post-conference execution actually looks like If you’re attending conferences this year and want to walk in with more clarity, better strategy, and stronger outcomes, this conversation is for you. ⏱️  Key Topics / Timestamps 00:00 – Why conferences fail without preparation 05:15 – How industry conferences have evolved 11:00 – The hidden ROI most teams overlook 18:00 – Choosing the right people to attend 24:30 – Why relationships matter more than transactions 30:00 – AI, psychedelics, and emerging trends 37:40 – Evaluating vendors and technology onsite 43:00 – Post-conference follow-up strategies 49:20 – Final advice for behavioral health leaders 🔗  Follow elev8.io on Social Media LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/elev8io/⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/elev8.io/⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@elev8_io⁠ 👤  Guest Details Doug Edwards - Senior Vice President — HMP Global LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-edwards-086956b/ Website: http://www.hmpglobal.com 📊 Resources & Links Learn more about elev8.io:⁠ https://elev8.io⁠ Explore our Patient Acquisition ROI & Census Growth Calculator, exclusively designed for Behavioral Health Organizations 👉⁠ https://growthcalculator.elev8.io 💡 Have a topic in mind?Suggest it and check out our other podcast episodes → https://elev8.io/podcast

    15 | Pre, During, After: A Smarter Framework for Conference ROI in Behavioral Health
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About

‘The elev8.io Podcast’ is a thought leadership platform dedicated to providing actionable insights, expert interviews, and growth strategies for Behavioral Health Centers. The podcast addresses the challenges and opportunities in the rapidly evolving behavioral health industry. Our Topics: ✔ Solutions to common industry growth challenges ✔ Strategies for marketing, BD and admissions ✔ Leadership playbooks that cultivate sustainable growth ✔ Innovations in technology, AI & strategic partnerships ✔ VC/PE Trends for Behavioral Health Mergers & Acquisitions ✉️ podcast@elev8.io

Information

  • Creator
    elev8.io
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © elev8.io
  • Show Website
    The elev8.io Podcast